UMass Salem? Salem State lobbies for university status, name change

Like many Massachusetts colleges, Salem State started out as a teachers’ school. Since its 1854 founding, it has undergone three name changes, adapting to fit its growing programs and student body.

Kristin D'Agostino

Like many Massachusetts colleges, Salem State started out as a teachers’ school. Since its 1854 founding, it has undergone three name changes, adapting to fit its growing programs and student body.

Now, under President Patricia Maguire Meservey, brought on early this year, the college has its sights set on another name change.

On Nov. 16, along with presidents from nine other state colleges, Meservey lobbied officials at the state Board of Higher Education (BHE) to become part of the University of Massachusetts system. Though the board does not have the power to grant university status, a recommendation to the Legislature from BHE officials would help the recently-filed bill to pass.

The other colleges seeking to change their status are Bridgewater State, Fitchburg State, Framingham State, Westfield State, Worcester State, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

All but five states, including Massachusetts, call their public colleges universities.

Meservey, who previously worked as provost at Suffolk University, said the board meeting went well and the college presidents presenting were “well informed.” The board, however, asked the colleges to further research the criteria used by other states for a college seeking university status, and how the change affected tuition and school costs.

Patricia Plummer, chancellor of the Board of Higher Education (BHE), believes the cost to schools would be “nominal.”

“Colleges are continually advertising and a change in name would not add significantly to cost,” she said.

Having a statewide university system, some feel, would be a big draw in attracting out-of-state students. “It is a competitive disadvantage to have colleges and not universities in terms of bringing people to Massachusetts,” said state Rep. John Keenan.

Certainly Salem State College would have much to gain by adopting the UMASS brand name. The school would be able to offer doctorate programs, something a Massachusetts college is not authorized to do.

SSC spokesman Karen Murray Cady said two programs, nursing education and social work, are ready to be converted to doctorates, and criminal justice and education are not far behind.

“Salem State is a university in everything but name,” Cady said, pointing out that students have nearly 50 master’s programs to choose from.

Since 2006 the college has expanded its nursing department to include a $700,000 nursing and therapy laboratory, and added the Bertolon School of Business with a $2.5 million donation from an alumnus.

Salem State is ranked third in student enrollment among Massachusetts public colleges, behind UMass-Amherst and UMass-Boston, with just under 10,000 students. Its enrollment even tops UMass-Lowell and UMass-Dartmouth.

A blessing or a curse

There’s no denying the weight the word “university” carries.

“It’s about prestige,” Cady admitted. Students, it seems, agree.

“It just sounds cooler,” one student said.

“You’d get more recognition in the corporate world,” said Diana Wambui, a freshman from Kenya studying for a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Wambui transferred to Salem State from UMass-Boston this semester, and said the education she’s getting now is “just as good” for less money.

In becoming a university, Salem State would likely garner more funding. When New Hampshire’s Plymouth State College attained university status five years ago, officials there said, they doubled graduate school enrollment and saw an increase in grant money.

“Maybe we’d get a new library,” exclaimed Kevin Hughes, a sophomore, referencing the building that has been closed since mid-October due to possible structural deficiencies. “More funds would be good.”

Even before the library was shuttered, college officials had been seeking state funding and approval to replace the ailing building. Along with a shortage of office space and dorms, the library is one of Salem State’s ongoing challenges.

Critics say that gaining university status could raise tuition costs for students seeking an economical yet well-rounded education. State Rep. Kevin Murphy, D-Lowell, recently pointed out that Plymouth State College, when it gained university status, saw its tuition soar. (Officials there maintain the increase was the result of natural inflation.)

But it seems some students are willing to pay a higher price for the prestige and programming associated with a university education.

“Tuition cost is okay if I can get a better job to help me pay loans,” said Wambui.

Jeff Chillson, a business major, said, “I can’t imagine the tuition would change tremendously. Students would have more options so it would be worth it.”

When asked if Salem State’s tuition would increase, President Meservey said research into other state’s transitions has yielded “no conclusive evidence toward a dramatic change in tuition.”

“We made a commitment that tuition cost would not go up,” she said.

Making the grade

What measuring stick should the state use to determine which colleges should be dubbed universities?

When building their case for the Board of Education, many of the Massachusetts colleges referred to criteria set out by the Carnegie Foundation, an independent policy and research center dedicated to “uphold the cause of higher education.” The foundation has a system for classifying colleges and universities, and Salem State meets its “Master’s University” requirements, having a minimum of 50 master’s programs and two doctorate programs in the works.

Other states, like New Jersey, have developed their own criteria, taking into account how many degree programs the school offers, how well graduate students perform and the level of faculty — gauged by how much a professor is publishing and contributing to their profession and the greater educational community.

In the future, Massachusetts will most likely have to develop its own set of criteria.

“The governor’s office is working on what that standard should be,” said state Rep. Keenan, who added that a number of doctorate and master’s programs would most likely be the main factor.

State colleges, Keenan said, are not looking to compete with UMass for students, and would each maintain their own unique identity based on programs offered.

“We don’t want to be taking from UMass-Lowell,” he said, citing Salem State’s strong nursing and education programs, which attract people to the North Shore. “As long as the state colleges are complementing each other. So long as [they] agree it’s a fair bill, it will pass.”

In the coming months, state colleges will continue meeting with the Board of Higher Education, reviewing research on criteria, cost and tuition. In February the board will go to Legislature and share their findings.

When asked if he supports the name change, Keenan pointed to Salem’s strong nursing program.

“We have a shortage of teachers instructing nurses so this is great opportunity for Salem,” he said, “[The college] is in perhaps in the best position to achieve university status.”

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